The Houston Texans may not be done retooling their defense with almost 24 hours to go until their preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Texans are entertaining the idea of trading defensive end Shaq Lawson and safety Lonnie Johnson.
Both players are second on the Texans’ depth chart. However, they have been productive throughout their preseason snaps. Lawson has generated four combined tackles and a tackle for loss through his 63 preseason snaps. Johnson has gathered an interception, which he returned for a 53-yard touchdown, along with on his tackle and pass breakup through 56 defensive snaps.
The Texans have the ability to compensate for the departure of Lawson with second-year Jonathan Greenard, fourth-year Jacob Martin, and even Charles Omenihu and Ross Blacklock. If the Texans were to trade Johnson, they could take a step back at safety as they would have to rely on Eric Murray to fill the starting role.
Houston has to get to 53 men on their roster by 3:00 p.m. Central Time on Aug. 31.